Biomechanics
The following Biomedical Engineering laboratories are within our biomechanics track:
The Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Laboratory (MBL)
The
Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Laboratory (MBL), directed by
Prof. Gerard Ateshian, focuses on the biomechanics and biotribology of articular cartilage in human joints. In particular, this laboratory investigates the remarkable mechanical and frictional properties of articular cartilage through a combination of theoretical and experimental analyses. The MBL has resolved long-standing questions into how cartilage can maintain very low friction as the bones of our joints articulate, leading to the development of engineered cartilage using live cartilage cells and newly developed bioreactors.
The Bone Bioengineering Laboratory (BBL)
The Bone Bioengineering Laboratory (BBL), directed by
Prof. Ed Guo, focuses on major areas in bone biomechanics and bioengineering, including cellular/molecular mechanisms of trabecular bone response to mechanical and hormonal stimulation, micromechanics of cortical bone, and intervetebral disc response to mechanical loads. Additionally BBL is developing 3D image analysis and recognition of trabecular bone microstructure and 3D bone cell culture systems.
The Cardiac Cell Mechanics Laboratory
The
Cardiac Cell Mechanics Laboratory directed
Prof. Kevin Costa, aims at understanding the role of cardiac cells in the multi-scale mechanics of ventricular myocardium. Cellular-level studies include the use of a customized atomic force microscope combined with microfabricated devices and micropatterned substrates to map subcellular mechanical properties of individual beating myocytes. Macro-scale mechanics of the whole heart using non-invasive magnetic resonance tissue tagging. These studies lead to the development of living, beating, cylindrical "trabecular-shaped" cardiac muscles and spherical "ventricle-shaped" cardiac chambers.
The Cardiac Tissue Mechanics Laboratory
The Cardiac Tissue Mechanics Laboratory, directed by
Prof. Jeffrey Holmes, applies biomechanics to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and heart failure. Projects in the laboratory include quantification of cardiac wall motion for noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease, biomechanics of healing myocardial scar tissue, structural constitutive modeling of collagenous tissues and engineered tissue-equivalents, and mechanical regulation of myocardial growth and remodeling.
The Liu Ping Laboratory for Functional Tissue Engineering Research
The Liu Ping Laboratory for Functional Tissue Engineering Research, directed by
Prof. Van Mow,
continues the pioneering rigorous studies on the mechano-electrochemical properties of the soft tissues in diarthrodial joints. These in-depth studies have made paradigm shifts in the studies of soft-hydrated-charged hydrated tissues, and have received numerous awards in the discipline of biomechanics over the past several decades.They constitute some of the most highly cited literature in the entire biomechanics discipline. With its emphasis on functional tissue engineering, Dr. Mow’s laboratory currently studies the performance of engineered constructs under physiological conditions for long periods of time, allowing them to serve as viable replacements for damaged orthopaedic, load bearing tissues.
Neurotrauma and Repair Laboratory
The
Neurotrauma and Repair Laboratory, directed by
Prof. Barclay Morrison,
has a single overarching goal: to reduce the societal costs of traumatic brain injury (TBI), which affects 1.5 million new patients annually at a cost of $69 billion. This laboratory established the first macro-array description of in vitro post-traumatic genomic alterations and correlation of those changes with mechanical injury parameters and developed an organotypic brain slice system for investigating injury biomechanics. Activities include development of stretchable microelectrode arrays for more stable neural prosthesis interfaces, vertically aligned carbon nanofiber electrophysiology arrays, and novel delivery technologies for crossing the blood brain barrier.
